March math > March madness

March isn’t generally thought of as an overly holiday-ish month, but somehow this particular March is feeling as chock full of festivities as a typical December. First, there was Pi Day. I’m all about a holiday that features pie, but I must admit, I don’t really have much of an understanding of math beyond algebra. The kind of math I find myself using most frequently is division, as in how do I divide myself to accomplish all my tasks and give my boys a fair share of my attentions?

Three children, two jobs and an active and social life definitely provide a mathematical sort of challenge. While I’m not really a numbers girl, I did stumble upon a means (that’s a math term, isn’t it?) of division that seems to work for my family – instead of dividing myself, I divide the boys. Genius!

Pi Day is quickly followed by St. Patrick’s Day which ushers in a time of traditions and religious holidays spent with family. The boys and I have been fortunate enough to celebrate Easter and Passover, in various locales over the years, and I really value the low key, relatively noncommercial qualities of both holidays.

So, what’s the relationship between spring holidays, math, and family? How does it all add up? Well, I discovered a number of years ago that the ideal way to ensure that each of my boys feels like the center of my world, is to take them on individual “Mom and Me” vacations. These trips have taken us to many wonderful places including Colorado, some beautiful parts of Florida, Ireland, California, Washington, D. C. and Baltimore.

Next week my oldest son and I head to Europe to spend Easter with our family in Germany. “His” trip was inspired by his passion for history, particularly World War II history. We’ve got some good stuff planned, like a visit to the area where the Battle of the Bulge was fought and a tour of the Anne Frank Haus in Amsterdam. Having the time to focus solely on one child and his interests has been a priceless luxury for me and I love being able to create private shared memories with each of my boys.

Here’s how the equation looks on paper: 3 (boys) – 2 (boys) + 1 mom = 1 boy who knows he and his curiosity are incredibly important to me. Problem solved.